(1863) Civil War Store Card F-35A-1a, E.W. Atwood CT

Coin Details

Description

This Civil War token was issued by E.W. Atwood, operating in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Connecticut was a major arms manufacturing center, with Colt in Hartford and Winchester in New Haven. Its merchants issued tokens alongside the munitions output. With 4 known varieties, E.W. Atwood produced a modest number of token types. This copper striking (Fuld 35A-1a) is common among the known varieties. Each unique combination of obverse and reverse dies constitutes a separate Fuld catalog number, even when struck in the same metal. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 4 cataloged varieties, E.W. Atwood was a limited producer of Civil War tokens.

Cross References

Fuld 35A-1a